Speaker for September

Our speaker for September is Olivia Wilson and her talk is entitled "Eco Textile Practices".

She is a mixed media artist and educator with 17 years of experience in art education and a Master’s in Fine Art. Her practice explores the intersection of nature, material, and storytelling, with a strong focus on sustainability. She grows and forages for natural pigments, using them to create eco-conscious textiles that honour the earth’s vibrancy.

Beyond her studio work, she is passionate about fostering a connection to nature through community-based art projects in natural spaces. She collaborates with people of all ages to create art that deepens relationships with the environment, blending ritual, self-care, and material exploration. Her work is influenced by eco-feminism and esoteric themes, challenging traditional narratives and advocating for harmony between the self and the natural world. Through art, She seeks to inspire connection, reflection, and a renewed sense of belonging to the earth.

July Meeting

There was much beautiful work to be admired at our meeting on July 2nd.  Textile artist Jane Caven travelled from Coventry and explained the development of her style in pictures and very many examples of her work which could be closely examined.

Jane told us how her interest in textiles developed from early sewing with her grandmother, but not straight away.  She gained art qualifications, finding a love for working with fabric much later in her career.

It was amazing to see so much hand sewing.  What we initially thought was applique, was actually the main fabric, brought to life with intricate, vibrantly coloured stitches for the 'background'.  Designs and compositions are first planned on paper using coloured pencils/pastels before  the sewing on black drill fabric can begin. Thus the spaces become as important as the rest of the design.

Many of us were inspired to sign up for her workshop in September. 

Kathy Francis

July Speaker

 Our July speaker is Jane Caven and her talk is entitled "A Journey into Making Embroidery Art".

Jane Caven's textile pieces have evolved from drawings made on pastel paper with soluble crayons.  The hand stitched embroideries are 'drawn' with running stitch, which is used in a variety of ways.  Some of Jane's work combines felting, collage and stitch.  Themes depicted are largely of nature, trees and birds, done in a stylised way.  She likes to use strong contrasts, juxtaposing the black fabric with vividly coloured embroidery threads.

An example of her work

Jane will be running a workshop for us on the 27th September at Ashby Magna Village Hall.

June Meeting

The subject of "Gee's Bend Quilts" chosen by our speaker on  June 4^th was unfamiliar to many of us.  Quilter, Andrea Lechner, had become fascinated by their history and done a great deal of research into their origins and development. Gee's Bend is a horseshoe bend in the Alabama River and refers to the quilts developed there in an isolated hamlet of Boykin.  The original community of 17 enslaved people worked on a cotton plantation established by Joseph Gee in 1816.

Their quilting grew out of necessity: living in poor quality, unheated homes and the need to keep warm in winter.  Just surviving was hard and they used any fabric they could acquire.  This was parts of old clothes and household fabrics.  Muted colours, shapes and patterns emerged depending on what was available.  They had little or no knowledge of other communities and their designs and skills were handed down from generation to generation.

With the aid of many slides Andrea was able to show and explain many of the early ones and answered a number of questions from our members.    Government support allowed them to sell quilts from 1930's and they became popular. Now there is international recognition for the artistry and skills and they are displayed in many museums.

Kathy Francis

June Speaker

Our June Speaker is Andrea Lechner and she will be talking about the quilts of Gee's Bend.

The quilts of Gee's Bend are quilts created by a group of women and their ancestors who live or have lived in the isolated African-American hamlet of Gee's Bend, Alabama along the Alabama River.

The quilting tradition can be dated back to the nineteenth century and endures to this day. The residents of Gee's Bend, Alabama, are direct descendants of the enslaved people who worked the cotton plantation established in 1816 by Joseph Gee.

The quilts of Gee's Bend are among the most important African-American visual and cultural contributions to the history of art within the United States. The women of Gee's Bend have gained international attention and acclaim for their artistry, with exhibitions of Gee's Bend quilts held in museums and galleries across the United States and beyond. This recognition has, in turn, brought increased economic opportunities to the community.

May Meeting

Our May meeting is a practical evening.  You will need your sewing kit.  Lace bobbins will be provided as well as fabric etc, but you can bring your own if you wish. See below for examples of the project to be made.

April Meeting

"Collage just got bigger" was the title of Sarah Hibbert's presentation on the first evening meeting of 2025.  

We certainly saw some large quilts with large designs.  Originally Sarah had produced some more traditional work and hand quilting.  Later she found an interest in more abstract designs.

I personally, not being particularly proficient at art and design, was fascinated with her process of producing modern abstract designs.  As a starting point she cuts/tears paper before arranging them as a stepping stone to her quilts using mainly solid colours, often with a limited palette.

Sarah was an interesting speaker, often sharing humorous details of producing quilts even if they illustrated problems she faced, including a grandchild dyed blue by a non-colourfast fabric.

Kathy Francis